Judge turns historic building in downtown McAllen into popular restaurant

Tumbleweed SmithMidland Reporter-Telegram

Published 11:00 am, Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Arturo Guerra is the fourth generation of his family to inherit a 1912 building in downtown McAllen. He is a former district judge and is extremely proud of his heritage. His great-grandfather was sheriff of Starr County and his grandfather sold a herd of mules in San Antonio, brought the money to McAllen and opened a general store.

"They flourished in the business," said Art. "Their store provided necessities primarily for the Hispanic community. They sold coffee and flour in big sacks and had lots of merchandise."

The Guerras became extremely successful and constructed several buildings on a street in downtown McAllen that was renamed Guerra to honor them.

After retiring from the bench, Judge Guerra recalled a lifelong dream: "From my very young years, before I was educated, I always thought it would be nice to have a neat little restaurant. It was something that I always wanted to do before I moved on."

Just about that time, the city of McAllen was revitalizing downtown in an effort to make it more of an entertainment destination. The city offered tax incentives to property owners who would update their buildings and put businesses in the ones that were vacant. City Hall also would provide good lighting and security officers.

When Judge Guerra heard about this, he was intrigued. He contacted his cousin Che and together they restored the building and opened an upscale restaurant. The street is now called 17th and is one of the hot spots in the valley.

"When we opened our doors, there were only four venues that were entertainment-oriented," said Art. "Today there are more than 38 and more permits are pending before the city. You could have literally given this property away three or four years ago. You cannot touch a piece of property on this street today."

The restaurant is a huge success. Expansion already is underway. The restaurant, called The Patio on Guerra, features prime beef, seafood, continental cuisine, live music and a bar with an extensive selection of wines. Arched brickwork provides a warm, historic ambience. It opened on Oct. 15, 2008, exactly 100 years after the original general store opened.

"The stars aligned for me," said Art. "That's all I can say. It is beyond our expectations. And we're most proud because this is our heritage."

Judge Guerra was born into ranching and maintains a large spread in the valley. He practiced law 30 years and served 10 years as a state district judge. After retiring, he worked for a while as general counsel for a nonprofit organization. He was looking around for something to do when the restaurant opportunity presented itself. The building had been vacant for three years and he was concerned about its structural integrity. During restoration, which took nearly a year, he kept as much of the original structure as he could. He put on a new roof.

"We were hell-bent on delivering top notch food, the best servers, and plenty of atmosphere," he said.